IWT x PWA Chile: Juniors start the World Cup in Matanzas

Sol Degrieck, the young Belgian who often trains in Pozo, raised the bar for the junior girls on the first day of competition at the World Cup in Chile. "She relished the conditions and showed powerful bottom turns, cut backs in the critical area and an aerial, proving that she is not only a top contender in the juniors but also a growing threat in the Pro Women," enthused the IWT in their daily summary. Degrieck was rewarded with the highest heat score of the day (12.90 points) and the best individual wave score - which was almost in the excellent range at 7.07 points.

Degrieck said: "It was good to be on the water without many people. I caught a really nice wave and was happy that I managed an aerial and quite a few turns on that wave. I loved sailing with the other young girls. I had fun on the water and that's the most important thing."

Noni Stuven, a young Chilean who has only just started wave riding, coped well with the conditions and took second place in the Junior Girls category.

• IWT/PWA World Cup Chile: Warm-up in Matanzas and Topocalma, heats drawn

Ryo Noguchi with style and speed

Ryu Noguchi won the first round of the Junior Boys with a fast flow and aggressive turns. The IWT described his heat: "Noguchi had a solid start and scored his best wave in the first few minutes, when the young Japanese rider hit the wave lips perfectly and rode several sections in a row at high speed with his aggressive style."

Noguchi added: "It's difficult for me because I come from the starboard side, but my first wave was good, I had a set and a good flow." Noguchi had already reached the semi-finals at the Japan World Cup in his hometown of Omaezaki in February this year. "I was so excited after Japan. I still can't believe my ranking, but my goal is to become world champion in the Under 18s and to finish in the top 16 in the Pro Men."

Second and third place was a constantly changing battle between two Chilean local heroes. "Loïc Antoine Harfagar showed a good wave selection with a surf-like style and it looked like he was going to take second place. But towards the end of the heat, Francisco Markiewicz managed a decisive move on the lip, which earned him second place," the IWT described the duel. The juniors still have two more runs to go to reach their final result.

For today, Wednesday, the wind forecast promises very good conditions, there should also be a Livestream on the IWT YouTube channel give.

The highlights of day 1 at the World Cup Chile 2024